Talking point: Family, a basic cell of the society
The United Nations recognizes the family as the basic unit of society. Families have been transformed to a great degree over the past 50 years as a result of changes in their structure (smaller-sized households, delayed marriage and childbearing, increased divorce rates and single parenthood), global trends in migration, the phenomenon of demographic ageing, the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the impacts of globalization. These dynamic social forces have had a manifest impact on the capacities of families to perform such functions as the socialization of children and caregiving for their younger and older members. Nearly all UN system activities touch on the family, in its various forms. With some UN bodies, the connection is direct and obvious. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) promotes safe motherhood, reproductive health, the needs of adolescents and youth and gender equality, and addressing the impact of HIV/AIDS on the family. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) supports the family through such actions as promoting child survival, development and protection, gender equality, and the impact of HIV/AIDS. Other UN bodies support the family indirectly, and powerfully, by promoting health, well-being and development. Among these are such bodies as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Permanent Forum for Indigenous Issues (UNFPII), UN Women, and so many more. By proclaiming 1994 as the International Year of the Family, with the theme, “Family: Resources and Responsibilities in a Changing World”, the UN General Assembly emphasized family issues in the international dialogue on development. As a result, governments formulated national action plans on the family, established ministries devoted to the family and passed family-oriented legislation. In 2004, the Assembly marked the tenth anniversary of the International Year, and the Secretary-General has kept its outcome under review. The United Nations also promotes the annual worldwide observance of the International Day of Families on 15 May of each year, aimed at increasing awareness of issues relating to the family and encouraging appropriate action. The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State. — Article 16(3) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights "This year’s International Day of Families highlights the need for work-family balance. The aim is to help workers everywhere provide for their families financially and emotionally, while also contributing to the socio-economic development of their societies." Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's message for 2012 2012 Theme: "Ensuring work family balance" A woman and her son inside her husband's shop in Darfur. On top of running this small business, the family relies on planting crops and collecting firewood to survive. UN Photo/Albert Gonzalez Farran. The International Day of Families is observed on the 15th of May every year. The Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993 with resolution A/RES/47/237 and reflects the importance the international community attaches to families. The International Day provides an opportunity to promote awareness of issues relating to families and to increase knowledge of the social, economic and demographic processes affecting families. In its resolution , the General Assembly also noted that the family-related provisions of the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summits of the 1990s and their follow-up processes continue to provide policy guidance on ways to strengthen family-centred components of policies and programmes as part of an integrated comprehensive approach to development. The International Day of Families has inspired a series of awareness-raising events, including national family days. In many countries, that day provides an opportunity to highlight different areas of interest and importance to families. Activities include workshops and conferences, radio and television programmes, newspaper articles and cultural programmes highlighting relevant themes.